Tag Archives: Strategy

Scouting is one of the more important aspects to a coach’s preparation for a tournament. For many coaches the act of scouting itself has a number of flow on effects within the team’s preparation and overall scheduling of events during a tournament. Developing a deeper understanding about scouting when heading into a tournament situation can therefore have a significant impact on an outcome as well as the how time is spent.

Below are some points to consider about scouting and successful implementation of the strategy during a tournament situation.

Collecting and developing scouting notes is one thing. Making sure that they are used during preparation for and during games is another thing. Remember scouting notes can be used by coaching staff and players alike during games to help keep focused (Photo Source: au_tiger01)

Develop a Standardised Tool

Some coaches find that attending a game with a pen and paper is all they need when scouting a game of basketball. For senior coaches, this might very well be the case. However, for many teams there will be a variety of different people involved in the scouting process. Especially in tournament situations. Having a scouting tool therefore that outlines what is desired by the coach will be of help in directing everyone onto the same points of note or areas needing to be covered.

Develop a Scouting Pool

Because during a tournament games can be scheduled at different times or at different venues it is not always possible for one person (like the Head Coach) to scout every game personally. To overcome this challenge, a number of people should be brought into a scouting pool so all games which need to be covered can be scouted.

People selected can be parents, friends, and other coaches. Obviously, not everyone has the same basketball IQ, so it is therefore more important to develop a standardised scouting tool as discussed earlier so everyone is clear on what is needed.

Even if a team has the ability to video games that can then be reviewed by a coach at a later time, there will still need to be a person available who is able to do this task. Having a pool of people available makes the task of scouting easier for everyone.

Trial during Exhibition Games

If looking to utilise other people’s experience when scouting then a useful strategy for a coach to employ so they acquire the information they desire is to have the scouting pool attended one or two games as a group and scout as a collective. This is really useful for groups where there is a large range of different scouting abilities.

Remember, even senior coaches can become focused on different aspects of a game to those a that the Head Coach might not necessarily see as being of the most significance. Taking some time at the outset of a program to provide guidance can stop a number of issues from occurring later on. These issues, such as miss-information, poor quality of notes, are difficult to manage, correct, and change during a tournament.

Provide Feedback to Scouts

Scouts like any person fulfilling a role within the team need to receive feedback. What was good? What could be improved? Is there enough detail? Are the important parts of the scouting information covered? How did you arrive at this conclusion? Are just some of the questions a coach can ask themselves when about to pass on feedback concerning scouting information.

Different coaches, value different things. For some coaches aspects of team play (offense or defence) are the most vital element of scouting notes. For others individual player habits and attributes are the crucial element in scouting reports. If a coach does not provide some feedback directly related to what areas are of high importance or low importance then a scout is not aware of what areas to focus on more significantly.

Know the Schedule

A scouting tool is developed, a pool of scouts is recruited and everyone has a consistent vision about how to scout. The next step is to look at the schedule for the tournament and calculate which games need to be covered.

Some strategies may include:

Allocating scouts to a venue; especially useful when multiple venues are in use

Allocate blocks of time for a scout to be at a venue; this can be a useful way of limiting the burden placed on anyone scout. Develop a roster so a scout may cover the mornings games and another individual covers the afternoons

Allocate scouts to a team; this is really great for a scout to develop a deeper awareness about an opposition

Complete a roster for scouts on a round-robin basis; this is useful when utilising parents to help scout so they can see their children play in some games

Roster scouts for part of a game; this is another useful strategy when using parents, one individual can scout the first half, while another completes the notes on the 2nd half of the game

Schedules for many tournaments come out well in advance. Taking the time to plan will make things significantly easier in these cases. For other situations where the draw is unknown, scouts just need to be more flexible in dealing with the needs of the team in regards to scouting on the run.

Film, Statistics and Scouting Notes

The ideal situation when scouting should come down to a number of sources of information being used to develop a game plan. Not one piece of information will provide all of the answers on how to develop an unbeatable strategy. This can also be said about scouting just one game involving a specific team. The more games scouted of a team, the better the information upon which to make a decision. Using a variety of sources of information will help make the most informed decision possible.

Store Records

A tournament properly scouted can produce a very large sum of information. This can be in the form of any number of different mediums. If possible, storing information electronically is usually the most practical.

Information though should never be thrown away. Even if a game plan was not successful, every game tells a coach something about the opposition. Notes specific to teams, individuals, and opposition coaches should be stored and referred to in other situations to help build a database of scouting knowledge.

Sharing Information

In some cases, sharing information related to scouting can be a very useful strategy to pick up on gaps in knowledge and information. Always be mindful however, about sharing strategy. It is fine to share observations as long as those do not relate directly to a team’s game plan. The best resource to share is film so the other coach has to make up their own mind about the strategy needed.

Scouting is a very important aspect of a team’s preparation before and during a tournament. Taking some time to plan and map out the strategy will help ensure a smooth and fruitful campaign.

A Baseline Out of Bounds situation can be very challenging to defend and one strategy to limit the options available to an offensive team is to employ a Zone Defence. A zone defence brings a number of positives to a team’s defensive orientation in the half court. Some of these benefits can carry over to out-of-bounds scenarios. The effectiveness however of a zone defence is underpinned, like all defences, on the team’s ability to implement the defensive principles to their most effective end. Without every player on the floor participating and playing their part, a zone defence will still be ineffective just as much as any other defence.

Simplicity

Either in a Zone Defence or Man-to-Man; The player guarding the inbounder should position themselves so they are in between the passer the basket. By doing this they make a lob our pass into the keyway harder to execute (Photo Source: Jeramey Jannene)

For defensive sides struggling to maintain good spacing and marking during an inbounding situation a zone defence can be a good alternative. Because a zone defence allocates certain positions on the court as well as giving very specific roles to each player. Each individual is more likely able to perform their expected role to a higher level of competence. The free-flowing nature of man-to-man defence can sometimes confuse players especially against tactical elements like screen the screener and players screening to get free. Utilising a zone defence takes away some of this uncertainty against a baseline situation and plants defenders into specific roles.

Less Moving Parts

A zone defence by its nature as described above has less movement because defensive players are reacting to activity in their area, not just simply the individual player movement of whom they are matched up against. Less movement by individual defenders should see an improvement in vision (provided players are still maintaining lines of sight), reaction time (provided players are in a ready stance) and decision-making. If this is not the case, and a team’s zone defence is still ineffective against a baseline play. It might be time to focus on individual defensive awareness and technique.

Less movement does not equal not being defensively aware. Zone defenders still need to be accountable to knowing where the shooters are and other key players respective to their areas of responsibility on the court.

Condenses Defenders

A reduction in the space between defenders is also another benefit of implementing a zone defence against a baseline out-of-bounds play. Baseline plays nearly always have a theme of creating a shooting opportunity if the X’s and O’s play out right. For a majority of these players the primary and secondary scoring options happen around or in the keyway. Employing a zone defence brings players into the keyway and floods this area of the court with bodies. Provided players look to shut down passing lanes by being active in defence they should be able to reduce the margin for an opportunity to occur.

One of the constant problems with this line of thinking concerning a zone defence is that individual defenders still need to be active. Too many times a team switches to a zone defence, and then the individuals fail to remain active and disciplined in employing defensive principles. Using a zone defence is not about resting individuals, it is just a different tactic.

Rebounding

Player’s proximity to the basket will decrease in a zone defence. This must be seen as an advantage for players to initiate and establish defensive positioning when rebounding. Again, this is reliant on players taking up this advantage and not seeing it is a fore gone conclusion that because they are closer to the basket they are entitled to the ball.

A zone defence can be very effective against a particularly potent offense generated when inbounding from the baseline. The zone defence can also be used as a way of bluffing a team into setting up in their zone offense before changing to man-to-man. This can be a useful strategy during an inbound to help players match-up and slow the tempo at which the offense is running.

On offense, Small Ball can help create mismatches in speed and agility through on-ball screens and driving actions (Photo Source: USAG- Humphreys)

Small Ball is the name given to a style of basketball were height and low post play is at a minimum. Small Ball has evolved because a number of reasons in the modern game of basketball as the sport spreads across the globe. Obviously, at the junior level Small Ball is all about just not having access to genuine Centres and Power Forwards. At the professional level Small Ball has been the basis for a theme of play that pits high intensity and effort base game play, against the traditions of the five players, with five distinctive roles.

Because Small Ball has now become a recognised philosophy within the sport of basketball a whole myriad of strategies and layers within this style of play have developed as a consequence. The richness of strategy has now developed so far that for many coaches this is the only way to play. Therefore, there are some characteristics of Small Ball and we will explore these now.

Extended Defence

Filling a court with players who lack height means that a coach must compensate with other attributes. Some of these are commonly speed, agility and intensity. All of which make extending a team’s defence into the full court a natural progression. Teams using a strategy of Small Ball can frequently and quickly move through the full range of defensive coverage variations that are available on a basketball court.

Match-up Defence

Because Small Ball basketball allows for very similar body types to be on the court at once matching up on defence can be approached with a little more flexibility (within reason). This means that match-up defences (like zones or presses) can be used with a great deal of success. Opposition offenses must learn to truly beat a system rather than attacking the weakest player on the defensive team.

Switching

One of the fantastic aspects of Small Ball defence is that switching can be a strength, and not a weakness. When playing with like players the ability to switch in many different defensive scenarios becomes a very easy and significant advantage. Small Ball in this context allows for better defensive coverage that in turns allows a more pressure focused defensive mindset to be employed.

Run and Gun

The phases of Fats Break, Primary, and Secondary Transition can be played at a very high tempo when playing Small Ball. This I because players as highlighted earlier need to be able to compensate with some other attributes rather than height. Think of this as finding ways to compete. So instilling a pushing the ball up the floor mentality with quick shooting opportunities help work to the strengths of Small Ball.

High Post

Just because a team employs a strategy of Small Ball does not mean that all offense from within the keyway goes out the window. One of the more favourable locations through which to still generate offense from, if undersized, is in the High Post. Facing up to the basket for high post players will assist with engaging an opponent outside of their comfort zone if they mostly guarding players in back to the basket positions. Add to this high post game play like catch and shoot, fake, fake and drive, and counters and a traditional keyway defender can be in all sorts of trouble.

Small Ball provides an opportunity for teams to try to magnify their strengths while reducing the exploitation of their weaknesses. This is really an underpinning value for all teams; it is just that with Small Ball the areas of disadvantage are a little easier to see.

A well executed Zone Defence can help teams with elements such as Doubling or Trapping (Photo Source: jmrosenfeld)

A Zone Defence is just one of a large array of options that a coach has during a game. If you do not have an “array of options” then you probably need to think about how you will manage a wider range of situations defensively. A Zone Defence, like all defences has strengths and weaknesses. Depending on the type of defence implemented there will be certain tactical situations in which you will use this strategy to put opponents at a disadvantage. No matter the formation or tactics, there are some times though during a game when a “Zone” can be a good option to change to.

Opposition is on a Scoring Run

If an opposition is continuing to pull away from your team during a game then a switch in the defensive strategy might be the catalyst for something to happen. Of course, calling a time out and refocusing the team around the current strategy is an option as well, but sometimes a change can break the rhythm of the opposition.

Most teams utilise a man-to-man defence as the primary weapon and Zone Defence works best as a rotation defence. By using a Zone Defence sparingly, an opposition will struggle with the free form of a man-to-man defence and then the structure of a Zone Defence. Exposing an opposition in this way also creates the option for a coach to extend the use of the Zone Defence longer if the impacts to offensive output are ongoing.

Extending into the Full Court

A Zone Defence in the quarter court works very well when paired with a similarly structured full court defence such as a zone press. If a team is looking to push their opponents further up the floor then the use of a Zone Defence might be the answer. Being able to collapse back into a familiar structure can sometimes be a struggle for teams when rotating out of the full court back to the half court when using a man-to-man defence. Having a set structure like a Zone Defence often helps with this transition.

Trapping in the Half Court

Trapping can often be a challenging scenario especially in a man-to-man defence. Players become confused on where they should be or what they could be doing. Providing the structure of a Zone Defence can overcome this confusion as players have more clearly defined roles and locations to fill within the defence. These roles are not only relevant to a position on the court, but the other players on their team as well. This makes it easy for players to be able to recognise the play as it is unfolding in front of them.

Players in Foul Trouble

One of the key features of most Zone Defences is that they work on the principle of having two or three lines of defence between the ball and the basket. This means that there are one or two lines of help defence to assist the player match-up against the ball handler at any one time. For this reason, a player who is experiencing some difficulty with foul trouble can be “hidden” to some degree within a Zone by being placed off the ball and in one of the help defence positions.

Slowing the Tempo of the Game

A Zone Defence can be used to also slow the tempo of a game. This however is based upon the assumption that the opposition is having trouble scoring against the Zone Defence or that they have not seen it regularly enough to be comfortable with playing structured offense against it. Switching to a Zone Defence can have the effect of making the opposition pull up and try to do something special against the defence. In some cases, coaches will even call a time out to plan what course of action to take.

The situations described above will not be the only exclusive element that leads to success when using a Zone Defence. The defence itself still needs to be effectively implemented on the floor for the play to be carried out. The more effective a Zone Defence is, the more it can be used regularly and with greater confidence of it standing the offensive onslaught of an opposition. This confidence will be highly valuable in focusing the team’s effort and energy into the defence.

The 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill looks to help players in developing their rebounding abilities by providing and extension onto of a player’s technical skill development. The focus of the drill is on players working to not only apply half court man-to-man defensive principles with rebounding responsibilities, but also start the drill in a very fluid state where players do not know who they will be guarding. This provides opportunities for miss-matches and situations that can happen routinely within games when players are involved in activities like defensive transition or scrambling from within a standard half court defensive rotations. All of these instances in part can be explored within the framework of the 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill.

Additionally there are three defenders starting inside the keyway. These defenders are players within three feet of the basketball hoop.

The coach starts below the baseline. Positioned on the split line and with a basketball.

On the “slap” of the basketball by the coach, the three defenders start to rotate, always maintaining a defensive stance, as well as vision of the ball and offensive player closest. Exchanging positions in front of the basket and to each side. Staying always within the keyway.

The coach is to pass to one of the three offensive players around the three-point line. As the coach initiates the pass a verbal cue of “Go” will be called. Each defender then closes out the closest offensive player.

From the moment the targeted offensive players receivers the pass the 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill is live.

Once a shot is taken, the main focal point of the drill is for each of the defenders to secure their respective offensive assignment through boxing-out. Then securing the ball to initiate a change of possession.

If an offensive players rebounds a missed shot the drill simply continues until either the offensive teams scores, or the defensive team secures possession.

Points of Emphasis

Perfect technique is the standard that every defender must reach and maintain; especially in regards to stopping their players and securing the advantage in the rebounding contest

Defenders should be encouraged to communicate verbally and physically with every rotation in the initial set-up and subsequent live phase of the 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill

Defenders will need to master the art of changing direction on the run during their close-out to the ball or run the risk of the defence breaking down at this point in each repetition

Vision off the ball is vital for being able to defend effectively as a unit; always support team principles in regards to man-to-man defence first, with rebounding principle of play being applied as the opportunity occurs.

Variation

The coach may not verbalise the start of the drill. This will encourage players to watch for the ball and then communicate effectively so everyone moves into the correct position.

Once the team masters the 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill additional players can be added to increase the complexity of the drill in individuals making the right choices and rotations.

The 3 v 3 Rotating Rebound Drill is a solid drill for helping players to develop a higher degree of defensive awareness and in doing so, perfect their rebounding technique. The drill provides a very useful tool for transitioning players from technique focused activities to more game realistic drills.